Janet Yang, SFTV’s Presidential Fellow and clinical professor of film and TV production, has been named the new president of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences by the organization’s Board of Governors. Yang, who is of Chinese descent, is the first Asian and fourth woman to hold the position.
In 2020, the renowned film producer was announced as SFTV’s first Presidential Fellow. With the support of LMU President Timothy Law Snyder, Ph.D., the Presidential Fellow program was established to bring highly accomplished professionals in media and entertainment to teach, advise, and mentor students through unique learning opportunities. In speaking of her experience at LMU, Yang said, “It has been such a pleasure teaching some of the best and brightest, whom I know will have a tremendous impact on our ever-evolving industry.”
An Emmy- and Golden Globe-winning producer, Yang was executive producer of the groundbreaking 1993 film “The Joy Luck Club,” the first mainstream American feature starring an all-Asian cast. Yang first rose to prominence through her collaboration with Steven Spielberg on “Empire of the Sun.” Among her numerous film and TV credits are “The People vs. Larry Flynt,” “Shanghai Calling,” “Dark Matter,” “High School Musical: China,” and “High Crimes.” Her firm, Janet Yang Productions, develops projects with underrepresented voices in mind, including the recent Oscar-nominated animated feature “Over the Moon.”
This June, Yang was celebrated at the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures, where a pillar was dedicated and a dinner was held in her honor. Known in the entertainment community as “the godmother of Asian Americans in the industry,” Yang has devoted much of her time to helping Asians and Asian Americans break into and advance in Hollywood.